Chapter 150 Dragon Boat Festival (Section Begin) 1

“Mrs. Lao… Mrs. Lao…” Aunt Tian wore the bamboo basket, panting while chasing after Mrs. Lao who had just walked out of the door. “I… I heard that… Yong Fu’s wife is pregnant?”

“Ha, and I was wondering why you were chasing me in a hurry like that? Yeah, it’s true that my oldest daughter-in-law finally has good news!” Aunt Lao nodded happily. Several days ago, she heard from her oldest son that her daughter-in-law felt nauseous as soon as she woke up. Aunt Lao guessed it away. Then, she resolutely asked Yong Fu to take his wife to Qing Yang Clinic to check. Indeed, her daughter-in-law was pregnant. That was why she had cooked three meals a day and delivered them to the blacksmith shop.

“That’s good! I thought it was just a lucky guess. Oh yeah, this is the good meat DaFu just hunted, take it and stew for your daughter-in-law.” Aunt Tian opened her bamboo basket and took out a piece of good pork wrapped in oil paper and handed it to Aunt Lao.

“How could I bear to take it! You should keep it for your grandchildren. It’s not often that Da Niu brings her little baby back home.” Aunt Lao refused the gift.

“Aiyo, why are you so polite to me? Our life is getting better, and a piece of pork isn’t a great gift anyway… And, today, Da Bao’s about to be home. His father has already cooked a chicken.” Aunt Tian resolutely shoved the meat into Aunt Lao’s hands. “Anyway, how are you doing? Are you going to deliver their lunch?” Aunt Tian saw several capped big bowls in Aunt Lao’s bamboo basket.

“Oh, right, Yong Fu also said that his wife’s appetite wasn’t so good these days. Sigh, I’m helpless, I just want my daughter-in-law to safely give birth to a healthy baby boy. I’m not concerned about other things.” Aunt Lao reluctantly explained. Her oldest son opened a blacksmith workshop near the entrance of the village, which was really far away from their house. Every day, she had to carry the bamboo basket back and forth for half an hour each trip. It was tiresome, indeed. But her daughter-in-law didn’t want to move back home, so she couldn’t do anything else. No matter what, as she was the pregnant woman, she had the most say.

“I heard Da Fu said that the Private Mansion Owner wanted to move the blacksmith workshop into the city. I wonder if they have talked to Yong Fu yet?” Aunt Tian whispered to Aunt Lao’s ear.

“Really?” Aunt Lao’s eyes brightened. If it were true, it would be so good. Her oldest son had managed a blacksmith workshop in the village, but he hadn’t received many jobs. For the whole year, he just helped pad the pots or make steelyards. It was three years ago when his business was in the best condition, which was when they built the main houses of the three private mansions. And now, as the three towns had become He Yuan and it was much easier to visit the city to buy iron items, Yong Fu’s small workshop only had some loyal customers. His income wasn’t even as stable as his father’s. Lao Yu Kun was the gardener in the main house of the private mansion. He received a salary of several hundred copper coins a month. For a whole year, he could earn several silver ingots. It was somewhat difficult, but it was worth his effort and labor. Yong Fu and his wife stayed in the blacksmith shop all the time but they couldn’t earn even two ingots.

“If Da Fu said so, it could be just an idea… Aunt Lao, I say, if Yong Fu opens the blacksmith workshop in the city, you and your husband could live better later…” Aunt Tian teased the other.

“Psst! What better, not better? Our life is already better now. Do you think that when my son succeeds, this old woman could be blessed? Look at Yong Qiang’s family, except for the Lunar New Year, we have never seen them back home, haven’t we?” Aunt Lao pouted her lips. Her youngest son and his wife had moved to the city and opened a grocery store for four years, and their son was now three years old. However, only when the married couple got into a fight, they would send her grandson back to the hometown for several days.

“Yeah, right. You see, my Da Bao is the same, isn’t he? I would have to nag at him many times before he would visit us. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. If his father hadn’t had a chance to deliver the goods to his wood workshop in the city, he wouldn’t have even thought to come back today. Sigh, you say, he’s seventeen this year and he looks decent, but why does no girl lay her eyes on him?” Mentioning her son, Aunt Tian felt a headache. There were so many maidens in the city and Da Bao had already reached an impulsive age, but he had never mentioned any girl he wanted to be with. As he was young and talented, if he liked some girl, his mother wouldn’t be afraid that the girl wouldn’t like him back.

“Da Bao is a man with a broad vision. Don’t you remember he went to Huan Sha City when he was still very young to open a wood workshop? Don’t worry. It’s just his destiny hasn’t come yet.” Aunt Lao comforted her friend. Da Bao was a great model for the youth in Fan Hua Town. Although he was very young, he was the manager of the six storefront wood workshops. Besides Mansion Master’s family’s support, with his superb martial arts, and the identity as the manager of such a large workshop, it was a matter of time before he found a perfect wife.

“I hope so. My family has only him to continue our legacy.” Aunt Tian sighed helplessly. “Aiyo, it’s really late. All right, I’m not going to bother you furthermore, Mrs. Lao! After lunch, I’m going to the main house to help wrap zongzi*.”

Pure: Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings wrapped with bamboo leaves) are traditionally eaten during the Duanwu Festival (Double Fifth Festival) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, and commonly known as the “Dragon Boat Festival” in English.

“Oh why? There aren’t enough people to make zongzi in the main house?”

“I heard that they would deliver zongzi as gifts to the shops. I just heard that from the Shui Family.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll go there after delivering the lunch.” Aunt Lao waved her hand and paced up toward the blacksmith shop in the eastern end of the village.

Temporary workers also earned money. It was the experience the villagers of Fan Hua Town had learned after three years of living here. So, if they didn’t have any urgent matters to do at home, the married women would go and work to earn some extra money. puretl. com is the original transla tor, please do not re post

For instance, during harvesting season, after they were done with their own paddy fields, they would come to the main house’s farm to help. Or, in spring, the entire town would climb Mount Xiu Feng to dig the bamboo shoots and unwrap them so as the workshop could make dry bamboo shoots. Also, on some festive occasions, they would volunteer to clean or cook at the main house when there was a shortage of staff.

In short, these years, the women in Fan Hua Private Mansion had earned not less than the men.